The present invention relates to a bung receptacle having at least one bunghole which can be closed fluid-tight by means of a bung stopper.
Bung receptacles and especially bung receptacles made of steel are packaging means for fluid or even solid pourable fill goods and are, by way of illustration, set forth in DIN 6643. With regard to all details not made more apparent herein reference is made to this German Industrial Norm.
By way of definition, bung receptacles have an opening which is smaller than the inner diameter of the receptacle. This opening serves to fill, empty and ventilate the receptacle. This opening can usually be closed by a safety covering means.
For this purpose the bung receptacle usually has a so called "tri-sure flange" and a corresponding stopper. With regard to the design of this flange and the corresponding stopper reference is made to DIN 6643, Teil 2 (Section 2).
The tri-sure flange and the actual receptacle are manufactured separately as independent parts. Fitting a flange into a receptacle is carried out by means of a pressure forging procedure in the course of which a sealing means suited for the fill goods has to be fitted between the receptacle wall and the flange (cf. DIN 6643, Teil 2, V1) Sicherheitsverschlu.beta. (safety-lock).
This known safety flange has a number of disadvantages due to its design:
First, manufacture is costly and time consuming as the flange and the receptacle have to be fabricated separately. Secondly, flange pressure resistance is relatively low due to the pressure forging procedure.
Apart from the costly, time-consuming manufacturing process and the low internal pressure resistancy, the trisure flange has the additional drawback that deformation resistancy is low. Moreover, blockage of leakage of hygroscopic goods is low; furthermore, as there is no homogeneous transition of material, a sealing means suited for the fill goods is required. Finally, receptacles with such flanges cannot be completely emptied.
The so-called laser flange, which does not have the abovedescribed drawbacks as the flange element is welded to the wall of the receptacle by means of laser welding has, therefore, been developed by the firm BUCO Budenbender. This flange, however, has the disadvantage that its fabrication is extraordinarily expensive.
An object of the present invention is to improve a bung receptacle having at least one bunghole which can be closed fluid-tight by means of a bung stopper in such a manner that the actual bung flange or collar is easy and inexpensive to manufacture without detriment to the ability of closing the receptacle tightly.
This and other objects are achieved by the present invention which provides a bung receptacle having at least one bunghole, which can be closed fluid-tight by a bung stopper. The bunghole is surrounded by a collar molded out of the material of the receptacle. The collar is provided with a sealing area, being able to insert a sealing element between the sealing area and the bung stopper. At the collar and at the bung stopper a rim is disposed which, in order to close the bung receptacle, is embraced by a tightening element which biases the bung stopper in the direction of the sealing area provided on the collar.
In accordance with the present invention the bunghole is surrounded by a collar molded out of the material of the receptacle. This collar is provided with a sealing area. Between the sealing area and the bung stopper a sealing element can be fitted in order to seal the bunghole. No expensive or complicated manufacturing procedures are required for fabricating the actual collar since the collar is molded out of the receptacle wall by means of simple molding procedures.
In order to further reduce costs, the stopper, the bung stopper for the bunghole, is designed as simply as possible. For this purpose the collar and the stopper are each provided with a shoulder. In order to cover the bung receptacle these shoulders are enclosed by at least one tightening element which biases the bung stopper in the direction of the sealing area provided on the collar.
In another embodiment, the stopper, or the bung stopper, is preferably a simple disk. An attachment area is provided at the collar with which a tightening element can be made to engage which in order to close the receptacle tightens the bung stopper, or the stopper, i.e. the disk, in the direction of the sealing area provided on the collar.
By means of these measures it is possible to design bung receptacles in metal or plastic in such a manner that it is not only possible to fabricate the bung-shaped opening, but also to close it tightly with a cost-favorable stopper.
In this case, a rip-line is provided to the tightening element along which the tightening element can be ripped open for its removal. With this design an especially simple and cost-favorable tightening element is created.
In another embodiment, only one tightening element is provided which completely surrounds the bunghole. However, it is expressly pointed out that, several, by way of illustration, three tightening elements may be provided with an angular spacing of, by way of illustration, 120.degree..
In any event, the tightening element/elements may also be fitted radially or axially. The tightening elements may be attached by folding, flanging or extruding. The collar may also protrude outward or inward.
The attachment area in certain embodiments may be, by way of illustration, a bayonet flange or a thread. The tightening element is then accordingly a bayonet ring or a thread ring.
The thread at the collar may be an inward thread or a outward thread.
In all the embodiments, the sealing element may be selected depending on the goods the pour-receptacle is to contain. By way of illustration, the sealing element may be an O-ring made of materials known for this purpose.
Furthermore, it is preferable if, for the protection of the bung stopper, a rim, the height of which is greater than the collar, moulded out of the receptacle material surrounds it. The protection of the bung element with the bung stopper can be further improved in certain embodiments by providing it with a support ring and/or by turning the collar inward or outward by turning the collar in a sort of "S" shape both inward and outward thereby yielding a double wall. The double wall, in particular, has the advantage of better absorption of knocks and shocks to the bung joint.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.